Door-catch.



F. W. RICKER.

DOOR CATCH.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 24, 1911.

Patented July 9, 1912.

WW1/Lamas FRANCIS W. RICKER,.0F WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

DOOR-CATCH.

nearer/2.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 9, 1912.

Application filed July 24, 1911. Serial No. 640,136.

T all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, FRANCIS W. RICKER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Washington, in the District of Columbia,.have invented certain new and useful v improved catch and buifer made from a single piece of sheet metal embodying a rubber plug to act as a butler, of extremely simple construction so that an unskilled person mayrattach it, and possessing the attributes of cheapness, lightness,.simplicity and durability. These objects are carried out by constructing -the device as hereinafter more fully described and claimed, and as shown,

in the drawings wherein Figure 1 is a longitudinal section through this device showing the door as held therein andalso showing in dotted lines how a screw driver'v 'may be inserted for applying or removing one or both of the screws; Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the device alone; Fig. 3 is a lan4 view of the blank from which the device is made.

In the drawings the numeral l in Fig. 3 designates a blank from which this device is made, which consists of a st-rip of metal having an ear or ears 2 projecting laterally from one or both corners of one end, and a tongue projecting longitudinally from the center of its other end, and somewhat narrower than the blank; and throughout the length of this blank as it, is made are stamped two openings 4 and 5 for the passage through them of the screw driver or other tool, two holes or eyes 6 and 7 for the passage of screws 8 which are to hold the device to the iioor F, a slot 9 which is to receive the tongue 3, and a Alarge hole 10 adjacent the tongue 3, and these various openings are disposed along the blank about as illustrated. The blank is by preference also scored or .indented along the lines 11, 12 and 13 to permit it to be bent.

' In the formation of this improved device from the blank above described, the forward portion is bent Aup on the cross line 13 to form a catch C standing oblique to the base' or horizontal portion I-I, and the upper free end of this catch is adapted to engage the door D. The buEer B best vseen in Fig. 2 is formed by bending the metal obliquely upward as at 12a on the cross line 12, and then downward as at 11a on the cross line 11, projecting or extending the tongue 3 through the slot 9, and delecting it horizonlily as seen in'Fig. 1; and in order that this bu er shall not injure the finest woodwork of the door a rubber plug 15 has its stem or shank 16 inserted through the hole 10 and headed up to retain it in place in any suitable manner. Thereafter` the device is laid upon the ioor at such a point that the door when swung open to its fullest extent will engage it as seen in Fig. 1, and screws 8 are oor F by means of a screw driver as indicated in dotted lines in that view. In use, the operator has but to swing th door open, when its lower edge passes over and deflects the catch C which springs downward as it bends along the fold line 13, and when the door passes beyond it and strikes the butler member the top or free end of the catch iiies up again to the position shown in Fig. 1 and the door is held open. -When it is desired to again close the door, the operator puts his foot upon whichever ear 2 projects beyond the corner of the door as indicated by the dotted lines in F-ig. 2, and depresses the same untilthe tip of the catch is beneath the lower edge of the door, after which the latter may be swung by hand. It will be noted that by providing the catch C with two laterally vprojecting ears 2 as illustrated, the device is made' reversible so that it can be used on either side of a door-opening. It will be further noted that the peculiar construction of the triangularshaped inner end of thebui'er B provides an exceedingly strong and rigid stop for the door. This is due to the fact that the upright portion 11a carrying the plug has its lower end securely fastened and, anchored passed through the eyes 6 and 7 into the bv means of the tongue 3 tothe base-portion of the device, while the upper; end of the upright part is effectively supported by the inclined brace 12a, as clearly illustrated "in Figs. 1 and 2.

What is claimed as new is:

The herein described reversible door catch ing in the base, the end forfning the catch being bent obliquely upward from the base and formed at its extremity with laterallyprojecting, foot-engaging ears, the end forming the buffer supportv being bentupwardly and forwardly from the baseto provide an inclined brace and being bent downwardly to provide an upright member` having a centrally arranged hole and being reduced at its lower v extremity to form a tongue which is passed through said slot in the basethe projecting end of the tongue being bentl rearwardly to anchor the upright member to the base, and a cushioning plug having a stem wit-h a reduced portion 4secured in the hole in said upright member, substantially as shown and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of ,two subscribing witnesses.

FRANCIS W. RICKER. Witnesses:

G. W. MUDD, L. O. HILTON. 

